Bright Ones: Murray Newlands is Blond With Green Ambitions

Murray Newlands and I meet a few years ago at an ad:tech event and somehow got to talking, which, considering where we met (at a party) would be better termed shouting. To say that over the years we just kept bumping into each other would be a massive understatement. I literally can't go to any ad conference without seeing the dude. He's everywhere. Of course the fact he's got spike-styled flaming blond hair probably guarantees I will see him if he's anywhere in the same city I am.

I've watched, with a fair degree of jealously I might add, Murray rise to the top of the "blogosphere" writing about affiliate marketing and marketing in general on his blog. Murray is a remarkable, honest, and intelligent guy who contributes a great deal to the industry and helps marketers understand the value of blogging and social media.

If you want a go-to guy for tips about blogging, he is your man. And he's done it all in just one year He's got a magical touch and an incredible sense of what works and what doesn't. And he's everywhere. He attends and speaks at all the major industry conferences.

ad:tech's Jeff Valentine agreed once saying, "I see him everywhere I go and with his hair he's hard to miss."

If you too have seen Murray at some conferences, you probably already know he always ends up at the best parties. And we have the pictures to prove it.

The reason for Murray showing up everywhere soon became apparent to me - he seems to know everyone. With a long career in online marketing, Murray, along with his other accomplishments, recently founded the affiliate network Affiliate Heat and is serving as CMO and head of US Operations for carbon offsetting company Carbon Advice Group PLC.

Murray has also worked for Carbon Advice Group and is committed to the environment. The The Carbon Advice Group uses affiliate marketing as a mechanism for environmental change by making it easy for any individual, company or organization to launch their own white-label site to sell carbon credits. Murray says seventy percent of the revenues go directly to carbon offsetting projects.

Murray also told me, "It is great to be able to use your knowledge and connections to do something genuinely good for the world." And why not? Everyone's going green today.

Murray, who hails from the U.K and did a lot of lead generation and affiliate marketing there before moving to the States, predicts there will be a surge in green social entrepreneurship this spring. And if that does happen, it can't be a bad thing.

So the next time you're at an ad:tech, an Affiliate Summit or at any other ad conference and you see Murray (and you will see him), ask him why he hasn't dyed his hair green yet.